Comments by "Seven Proxies" (@sevenproxies4255) on "Oil Companies Reap Eye-Watering Profits" video.

@eddiebruv It was very expensive, yes. Slaves did not come cheap. In the U.S it would take several years before a single slave had produced enough to earn his master the same amount of money that he paid for the slave. Slaves also had more expensive upkeep compared to exploitable employees. A slave had to be fed, housed, seen to by a doctor and guarded to prevent them from escaping. A hired farmhand on the other hand would have to settle for some low pay, and maybe be allowed to sleep in the barn if he didn't have his own accomodations. So back during the trans atlantic slave trade in the U.S, paying workers was a steal compared to owning slaves. The only upside to slavery for the master was the fact that buying a slave was more of an investment that would net a stable income further down the line, whereas a hired farmhand could just run off and pursue better pay elsewhere if he felt like it.
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